Prior art drawer slides have included two and three part drawer slides. Three-part bearing type drawer slides have included a cabinet member, and intermediate member and a chassis member, each having edges which define bearing races. Adjacent bearing races are spaced apart to define bearing spaces for receiving bearings there-between, such as for ball bearings, or bearing cages. The bearings are preferably spaced apart in fixed relation to one another along one of the edges by bearing retainers. As the chassis member is removed from within the intermediate member, the bearings and the bearing retainer move to a forward position in relation to the intermediate member, and are disposed adjacent a rearwardly disposed portion of the chassis member. When the chassis member is moved for retracting into the intermediate member, the bearings and the bearing retainer will move to an intermediate or forward position within the intermediate member, and are disposed adjacent an intermediate portion or a forward portion of the chassis member. This occurs due to a rolling engagement between the bearings and the respective edges of the intermediate member and the chassis member. Ball bearings and the bearing races in linear slides are free to travel back and forth through out the length of the slide. The act of sliding one member causes the balls in contact with that member to rotate, thus the bearings and races move in the same linear direction as the moving slide member. When the moveable slide member is returned to its starting position the bearings, captive in the races, also return to the starting position. Once again they are driven by the movement of the member, similar to a pinion moving on a rack. But rather than being driven by teeth engaging, the balls are driven by the friction of engagement with the slide member linear bearing race surface.
When a bearing drawer slide is fully retraced into a cabinet within which it is mounted, movement of the bearings away from the rearward end of a cabinet member will leave some free-play between a load carrying cabinet member and an intermediate member since the bearings are disposed between intermediate portions along the lengths of the intermediate member and the chassis member. Any large torque or bending moment applied on the opposite end of the sliding member can result in the slide members separating. This problem is especially acute in very long length slides and applications that require longer slides and when drawer slides are made of lighter weight materials. Separation of the slide members can result in the edges of the rearward end of a chassis member jumping out of engagement between the edges of the rearward end of an intermediate member, causing failure of the slide. For bearing drawer slides used in computer and telecommunications servers, the edges of a chassis member may jump out of engagement from within the edges of an intermediate member when force is applied to install cable management arms to the rearward ends of the drawer slide and a chassis.